Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment has announced a tender to collect forest products obtained from clearing the basin for the Stung Tatai Leu dam to be built by the Chinese. Forests have been abusively cut down in Koh Kong province for some time and environmentalists fear that the government’s announcements are just a facade.
Phnom Penh (/Agencies) – The Ministry of Environment of Cambodia yesterday announced a tender to collect forest products obtained from cleaning the basin for the Stung Tatai Leu hydroelectric project, in the Thma Bang district, in the province of Koh Kong. The Cambodian government, in collaboration with Chinese companies, is building several dams in this region to increase clean energy production, but there have also been many cases of illegal logging here for some time.
According to the ministry’s statement, a volume of wood worth more than 1.4 million dollars is available in Thma Bang district. It is specified, however, that “Those with a history of forest crimes or outstanding debts with the State will not be able to participate.”
The hydroelectric project was approved in 2020 by former dictator Hun Sen and inaugurated by his son Hun Manet in November last year. It will be built by the Chinese company Cambodia Upper Tatay Hydropower, with an investment of almost 400 million dollars. The waters of two rivers are affected, the Stung Kep and the Tatay, on which the construction of two dams and two reservoirs connected by an underground tunnel has been planned.
According to research from the website Mongabay, A large part of the wood obtained from deforestation in the area has already been sold illegally. Once harvested, the wood is transported to Koh Kong Provincial Prison, where inmates process it and, along with prison officials, receive part of the profits.
According to data from Global Forest Watchthe area where the dam will be built has lost 18,755 acres of primary forest in about 20 years, which is equivalent to 2.1% of the forest in the Thma Bang district. Since construction of the Stung Tatai Leu began, satellite images detonated almost 60,000 deforestation alerts in Thma Bang, almost all centered on the site of the new dam.
Not far away, in the area where another dam is being built, the Stung Meteuk, illegal deforestation activities have been recorded for some time, even within protected areas, carried out by companies owned by Ly Yong Phat, senator and advisor to the former prime minister. Cambodian minister and tycoon, originally from the province of Koh Kong but with ties to China. In September of this year, the US State Department announced sanctions against Ly and his companies, some of which involve online scam centers, according to US officials, but they have not mentioned the misappropriations of natural resources as activists denounce. local for a long time.
The same Cambodian Environment Minister, Eang Sophalleth, had ordered in September to ban deforestation in the region where the Stung Meteuk dam is being built. Environmentalists welcomed the measure, but expressed skepticism about the possibility that Ly Yong Pha’s activities could be regulated and made transparent. Many fear that the announcement of the tenders serves only as a facade.
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